Reaching 'Happily Ever After'
by pamplemousse07
Summary: Rapunzel is ready to get married, and Eugene is ready to propose. But it's not that easy. My take on the proposal and the wedding :D
1. Chapter 1

Eugene Fitzherbert was freaking out.

We're not talking about a small freak out here, no. Eugene was having a full out panic attack (Queen Eleanor thought he was on the edge of schizophrenia). After pacing back and forth in Eleanor's office for twenty minutes, muttering non-stop to himself, he slumped into a chair, completely losing his mind. Eleanor was sitting behind her desk and watched Eugene curiously. She had never seen him so unstable.

"I can't do this... what am I… _crazy_… there is _no_ way…" Eugene spluttered, hardly able to string a sentence together.

"Eugene!" Eleanor snapped. Eugene sat right up in his chair. He looked at Eleanor and she caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes. "Relax."

"Relax… relax? How do you expect me to relax when I'm…? I'm… oh gosh…" Eugene dropped his head into his hands and shook his head furiously.

"Eugene, what is wrong with you? Are you really this nervous?" Eleanor asked, standing up and walking over to him.

"I never thought…didn't think I would…" Eleanor placed her hand on his shoulder and he slowly lifted his head from his hands. He looked up at Eleanor and bluntly said, "I can't do this."

"Of course you can! Eugene, you're worse than Jonathan was. Do you really think Rapunzel would say no to you?"

"It's not that. It's the fact that I'm going to be"-he gulped-"married."

"What's wrong with that?" Eleanor asked.

"Nothing," Eugene replied, waving his arm. Eleanor raised her eyebrows and Eugene exclaimed, "Oh, everything! It is such a huge commitment and I honestly don't think I would be able to handle it and Rapunzel-gosh, Rapunzel doesn't even know how much of a comm-"

"Eugene! All Rapunzel knows is that she loves you. Isn't that all that matters?" Eleanor interrupted. "Getting married doesn't have to be some huge thing. Yes, it's a lifetime commitment, and yes, you would be marrying into royalty and would eventually become king, but that's not the point!" Eugene's eyes widened and he pulled at his hair, but Eleanor continued. "Eugene, if you truly love Rapunzel, you shouldn't even be worrying! Which is a dumb thing to say, because you _obviously_ love her, so what's the point in freaking out? She'll say yes, you'll get married and live happily ever after." Eugene grimaced. "Too cliché?" Eleanor asked and Eugene nodded. "Fine, she'll say yes, you'll get married and… and you and Rapunzel will be happy," Eleanor said, sitting on the arm of the chair and gently rubbing Eugene's shoulder. "Isn't that all that matters?" Eugene didn't respond right away. He was contemplating what Eleanor had just told him.

_And you and Rapunzel will be happy. Isn't that all that matters?_

_Yep_, Eugene thought.

"But," Eugene began, suddenly thinking of a legitimate point, "what if I become some stupid prince who only cares about becoming a king?" Eleanor groaned and threw her hands in the air.

"Why on earth would that happen? This marriage thing has definitely gone to your head," she said, standing from the chair and heading for the door. "You obviously have some fear of becoming king, so I honestly doubt that that need to become king would surpass your need to be with Rapunzel." Eugene watched as she reached for the door handle and pulled the door ajar slightly.

"I think you could use some more practiced hands. I haven't helped you all that much, I think. I'm going to find Jonathan. He'll have some words of advice," Eleanor said before slipping out of the room. Eugene sat, with his hand under his chin, thinking. Was this panic attack really worth it? Did he really need Jonathan to come talk to him? No, what was he thinking? He didn't need anyone to tell him about marriage! He was Eugene Fitzherbert for God's sake!

Just as Eugene was about to run for it, the door creaked open.

_Oh, great_, Eugene thought. He didn't see Jonathan, but Rapunzel. She came flying into the room once she saw him.

"Eugene, I've been looking everywhere for you!" she cried as she flung her arms around his neck. At the sight of Rapunzel, Eugene's throat seemed to constrict. When Eugene didn't say anything to Rapunzel, she loosened her grip on him and looked at him curiously.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He opened his mouth to say, "nothing," but instead, a small squeak came. Horrified, he clapped a hand over his mouth, but Rapunzel giggled.

"That was cute," she said. Eugene cleared his throat.

"Cute?" he asked.

"You sounded like Pascal. What's up with your hair?" she asked, looking at his hair that was sticking out slightly, due to him pulling at it.

"Oh, nothing," Eugene replied, flattening it out. Rapunzel smiled and said, "Would you like to go into the village with me? I was going to buy some bread."

Despite having chefs cooking constantly for her, Rapunzel enjoyed going to the market and buying from the vendors.

"They're friendlier," she would say.

"Well, all right," Eugene said.

"Okay, let's go!" Rapunzel grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the room. As they walked down the hall, Rapunzel rambled to him, but he wasn't listening. He was still thinking about that ring. He had planned to propose to her today, but he did not know when. Wait, did he have it with him? He lowered his hand and put it in his pocket, feeling the small, velvet box.

"_On_ second thought," Eugene said, turning around as a rush of fear went through him. No way. He needed to talk to Jonathan.

"Hey, Eugene! Where are you going?" Rapunzel called after him.

"I'll be right back! Just have to put something away!" he yelled back, walking quickly. He made it to his room and threw the box into a drawer. There was no way he could think about that when he was at the market with Rapunzel.

"You okay?" Eugene nearly screamed.

"Rapunzel! You scared me!" he said, putting a hand over his pounding heart.

"Eugene, what is with you today?" Rapunzel asked, laughing. He let out a shaky laugh and quickly closed the drawer.

"Ready to go to the market? I sure am," he said and quickly pulled Rapunzel from his room.

"I think I would like to buy some jewelry today," Rapunzel said as they walked down the same hallway.

"Yeah? What kind?" Eugene asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I've got bracelets and necklaces." She held her hands out in front of her. "Maybe I'll get a ring."

_Of course._

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><p><strong>Hey guys! I'm excited for this story :) I hope you are too! Don't forget to review :D<strong>

**(I'm a poet and I didn't even know it.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So sorry for the long wait! I know, it's not very long either. Next chapter will be more exciting, I hope! I wrote this chapter about a bazillion times.**

**YES, PEOPLE. A BAZILLION!**

**Ha. Well, it took me a while to decide what I wanted to do. I was working on this really complicated plot line that took me forever, and then decided, screw it. This doesn't need to be complicated! So yeah. That's why it took me so long. I'm going to do review replies for this story! So check those at the end. Hope you like :D**

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><p>"Eugene, you really need to stop worrying."<p>

"That's what Eleanor said."

"It's true!"

Eugene was sitting in Jonathan's office, hoping for some good advice. When Rapunzel bought that ring at the market, he insisted she wore it on her middle finger, not her ring finger. He was still worrying about proposing to her.

"She isn't going to say no."

"That's not what I'm afraid of!" Eugene said, throwing his arms above his head. Did no one understand? "I know she is going to say yes. At least, I hope she is. You never know, she might…" Eugene trailed off at the look on the king's face. "I'm just worried about the commitment. I've never done anything like this before," he continued.

"That, Eugene, is when you know you've thought too much," Jonathan said, patting Eugene's shoulder. "I was thinking the same thing before I proposed to Eleanor. It makes everything harder, trust me. You can't think about becoming the prince consort of Corona. That time will come. But for now, you just have to think of you and Rapunzel." Eugene nodded slowly.

"But what if I'm not ready to be prince consort of Corona?" he asked. Jonathan sighed.

"You will be. Perhaps not now, but I have no doubt in my mind that you will be an excellent prince." Eugene thought about this as he turned the small velvet box over in his hands. He was only thinking of himself. He was pretty sure that Rapunzel was ready to get married, and he sure as heck wanted to stay with her forever.

"You're right," Eugene said suddenly. "The time will come for me to worry about being… prince."

"There you go," Jonathan said with a smile. "Have you decided how you're going to propose?"

"Um… well, no. I haven't decided. I don't think Rapunzel would want anything too over the top. I figured something simple would be fine," Eugene replied.

"Simple," Jonathan repeated. Eugene nodded and opened the small box. He had looked at the ring, it seemed, a million times before, but he knew that Rapunzel would like it.

It wasn't too big, or too small, but there was a thick band with a single diamond on top. Eleanor had constantly told Eugene that he picked exactly the right one, which made him feel much better. He didn't think Rapunzel wanted a huge ring. Or at least, he hoped she didn't.

"Well, Eugene, I think no matter how you propose, Rapunzel will be happy," Jonathan said. Eugene closed the box and smiled at the king.

"Thank you," he said. Jonathan returned his smile and Eugene left the room, pocketing the small box.

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><p>"I just need one more. Come on, Eugene! I need to practice."<p>

Rapunzel and Eugene were in the library, and Rapunzel insisted that she had to practice her posture.

"This is what I do in my lessons. Mrs. Elaine said I had to practice on my own," Rapunzel said as Eugene brought her another book.

"You're sure this isn't dangerous?" Eugene asked. Sure, he had experienced many dangerous things before, but never had he seen anyone stack books on top of their head. Eugene feared Rapunzel might crumble under the weight. Ignoring Eugene, she placed one book on top of her head.

"Eugene, could you help?" Taking a book, Eugene carefully placed it on top of the one on Rapunzel's head. Rapunzel put the last one on and held her arms away from her.

"Now what do you-?" Eugene began, but Rapunzel already began taking steps. She wobbled a little bit, but the books stayed balanced on her head. He wondered how long she could go before they fell. She continued to walk in a straight line until she walked right up to a bookcase.

"This is where it gets hard," she said. She lowered her arms and took small steps to try and turn around. Eugene saw the books sway a bit and hurried across the room.

"Rapunzel, they're going to fall," he said, reaching his hands up.

"Don't touch them!" Rapunzel said. She was obviously concentrating very hard. "I've got it," she whispered. Eugene stayed close to her anyway. Rapunzel was nearly facing the other way, now. She only needed one more step… she lifted her foot too quickly and she tripped. The books toppled over, but Eugene was more concerned about Rapunzel. Before she could fall face first into the ground, Eugene grabbed her around the middle and pulled her back up.

"Darn it," she said.

"So turning isn't your strong point?" Eugene asked, bending over to grab the books.

"No! And that's what I need to work on. It's stupid though. It's not like I'm going to be walking around with books on my head all the time! My posture is good enough."

"Yeah, this seems a little ridiculous," Eugene said.

"Well, it was worth a shot." Rapunzel fumbled with her new ring. Eugene was glad to see it was still on her middle finger. He would gladly propose now, but not when Rapunzel was troubled.

"Hey, it's fine. I'll go talk to Mrs. Posture, or whatever her name is, and tell her that you tried." Rapunzel giggled and Eugene was glad to see her face light up.

"It's okay. I'm sure she'll understand. Oh, and Eugene?" Eugene raised his eyebrows in question. "Thanks for catching me."

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><p>"Of course, he'll have to take his lessons more seriously, if he is to become <em>the<em> prince consort of Corona."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure he'll realize it. I told him not to worry about that yet. He's more worried about the actual proposal than anything else."

Eleanor and Jonathan were talking about certain economic statistics about Corona, but seemed to get sidetracked and began talking about Rapunzel and Eugene.

"Well, I hope he does it soon. He's got us all anxious," Eleanor said, motioning toward a letter from a neighboring kingdom. "We've got so much work to do, and all we can talk about is Eugene proposing," she added with a laugh. Jonathan glanced out the window and instantly saw Rapunzel pulling Eugene toward the edge of the kingdom.

"Oh, I think he'll get his chance soon enough."

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><p><strong>Sheep1215: Thank you so much! I try really hard to get Eugene in character, and it's nice to know that I succeed :D<strong>

**Silverbellsb: I originally had this chapter about them in the market, but it seemed boring and... ehh... Haha. I decided to just refer to it, instead of have a whole chapter about. Thanks for the review, and hope you liked this chapter!**

**KaoriCarrie: I thought the squeak would be so adorable! And I had to insert Pascal somewhere... it seemed to work out :)**

**All right, there you are! Thanks to everyone else to reviewed as well... 8 reviews for one chapter! I was happy :) Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner. Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Rapunzel had insisted that Eugene accompany her down to the edge of the water. She was tired of thinking about her lessons all the time and wanted to get away from the castle for a little bit. Eugene was perfectly fine with it; he was thinking he might get his chance to propose.

Rapunzel led Eugene all the way to a small dock on the very edge of the village.

"Hm. I thought someone might be here. Fishing, you know," she said.

"Good thing no one is," Eugene muttered.

"What?"

"Oh-nothing." Rapunzel eyed him suspiciously, then shrugged. She sat down at the edge of the dock and let her feet dangle over the edge and into the water. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Are you going to sit with me?" she asked suddenly.

"Oh, um, of course…" Eugene said, tugging his shoes off. He joined Rapunzel at the end of the dock.

"I like to come down here. It's really relaxing. Don't you think?" Rapunzel said, kicking her feet in the water.

"Yeah, very," Eugene replied vaguely. He thought that soon, Rapunzel would like this place even more. He kept stealing glances at her, afraid to look her directly in the face. He wanted the proposal to be a surprise. He seemed pretty confident that Rapunzel didn't know anything about it, but he didn't want Rapunzel to know how nervous he actually was. Eugene was about to strike up a conversation, when Rapunzel began sliding off the edge of the dock.

"Rapunzel, what are you doing?" he asked, as Rapunzel felt her toes touch the bottom of the lake. She shivered.

"I felt like swimming," she said simply. Eugene laughed.

"Won't you ruin your dress?" Rapunzel shrugged and floated on her back.

"I've got enough. Aren't you coming in?"

"Oh, no thanks, Blondie. I'm not really much of a-" Rapunzel swam up to the dock, grabbed Eugene's hands and pulled him in. Rapunzel burst into laughter and Eugene stuck his head above the water.

"-swimmer," he finished, wiping the hair from his eyes. "Well, thank you, Rapunzel."

"You're welcome," she replied cheerfully. "Come on, it's not even that bad. At least you can touch the bottom."

"You _can_ touch the bottom."

"Barely!" She stood flat on her feet and half of her head was submerged. "See!" Rapunzel said, going back on tiptoe.

"Okay, okay, but you wanted to swim anyway so…" Rapunzel rolled her eyes and went back to floating.

"It's relaxing," she said. Eugene watched her float, and then couldn't help himself. He sent a splash of water right onto her face.

"_Eugene_!" Rapunzel spluttered, standing upright again. Eugene tried not to laugh. Rapunzel frowned at him, and then splashed him back.

"Oh, it's on, Blondie," Eugene said challengingly. Rapunzel smirked and the two broke out into a water fight. When they weren't shielding themselves from the others splashes, they sent waves of water at one another. Rapunzel continued to laugh gleefully and Eugene was trying not to get water up his nose, or down his throat. He did, however, send some pretty big splashes Rapunzel's way. She had been careful to close her mouth when a splash came toward her, but on this particular one, her eyes had been closed and all the water from Eugene's splash went right down her throat.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, Rapunzel!" Eugene said, hurrying toward her. She was trying to stay above the water, but it was rather hard to do while hacking her lungs out. She clutched at her chest and Eugene wrapped his arm around her, to keep her above the water. He helped her back to the dock and lifted her up. She flopped onto the wood and wheezed.

"Rapunzel? Are you all right?" Eugene asked tentatively, leaning over her. She nodded, but continued to gasp for breath. Eugene rested his hand on her back and Rapunzel coughed one more time.

"That… was disgusting," she said finally, in a weak voice. She rolled over onto her back and rested a hand over her heart. "Remind me never to have splash fights with you again." Eugene grinned.

"I'll keep that in mind." Rapunzel smiled and took a deep breath. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"I'm okay," she said, sitting up. She pulled her knees to her chest. "Well, all that coughing has made me tired. Want to head back to the castle?" Eugene's heart skipped a beat. He had completely forgotten that he was going to propose. Then he stopped breathing and thought he might have lost the ring in the water. He put a hand in his pocket and somehow, _miraculously_, the small, velvet box was still there. Eugene took a sigh of relief and saw Rapunzel stand up in front of him.

"Are you coming?" she asked, handing him his boots.

"Um, yeah, just… can you wait a second?" he asked, taking his boots, but setting them down next to him.

"I'm cold, Eugene! I want to head back and get changed. Catch up with me?" Rapunzel said, not waiting for an answer. She turned around and started to hurry back toward the castle.

"Rapunzel, wait!" Eugene said desperately. He scurried to his feet and ran after Rapunzel. She turned around and stared at him, her arms wrapped around her.

"What is it, Eugene? I'm freezing my butt off, here." Eugene cleared his throat, his heart pounding against his chest, before lowering himself onto one knee.

"Rapunzel?" he asked. Rapunzel dropped her arms and stared at him, her eyes wide. "Rapunzel, you know that you are my dream, and the complete love of my life, and oh gosh, that's so cheesy," Eugene added quietly, shaking his head. "But it's true! You are and-and whenever I think about the future, I see you and I. Together." Eugene paused, and he saw that tears were forming in Rapunzel's eyes. "So, Rapunzel… will you marry me?" Eugene pulled the box from his pocket and before he could even open it, Rapunzel launched herself at Eugene.

"Yes! Yes, of course!" she cried. She was laughing and crying and Eugene stood up from the dock with Rapunzel still in his arms. "Oh, my gosh. Oh… Eugene!" Rapunzel said, pulling away from him. Tears were falling from her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. Eugene opened the box and Rapunzel gasped. "Eugene…" she whispered. Not able to take the grin off his face, Eugene took the ring from the box and Rapunzel held out a shaky hand. Eugene slid the ring on her finger and a new batch of tears came. Rapunzel flung her arms around Eugene again and hugged him tightly.

"I love you so much, Eugene," she said. Eugene brushed a hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"And I love you."

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><p><strong>Yay! I hope you all liked the proposal :)<strong>

**Genius-626: I hope the cliffhanger was worth it for this proposal that I came up with!**

**sunnyprincessbird: Yes, I thought that seemed like Rapunzel too. I think we all do that sometimes :)**

**bStormhands: Get your Flynn on. :DD**

**All right everyone. Thanks so much for reading! I have one question for you all though, and would like to hear your thoughts. I have an idea for another story, but it would be helpful to know when Tangled actually takes place. So...**

**What time period/year/century do you think Tangled takes place?**

**I've heard 1700, 1800 and even 1400, but I'm still unsure. I'm thinking more 1800-ish. So please leave your thoughts in reviews! Again, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Guys... Eugene is leaving Disney World... kinda. He's going to be a part of the Halloween and Christmas things, and that's the only time he'll do the meet and greet things. I'm sad :(**

**Has anyone ever met Eugene? I've heard he's totally awesome :) I'm trying to stay positive throughout this whole thing, but it's really hard! But hey... a trip to Disney World could be a Christmas present! I just want to meet Eugene... :DD And Rapunzel, of course!  
><strong>

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><p>Rapunzel held onto Eugene for what seemed like hours. But Eugene didn't mind. He was getting married. <em>Married<em>! To the most wonderful girl in the whole world. Rapunzel lifted her head from Eugene's shoulder and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I love you so much, Eugene," she whispered for the umpteenth time. And Eugene responded, "I love you too," for the umpteenth time. Rapunzel pulled away from Eugene and admired the ring once again.

"It's beautiful," she said before looking straight into Eugene's eyes. Eugene grinned and planted a soft kiss on her lips. It wasn't long before Rapunzel broke away from him, giggling.

"I'm sorry! It's just… I was _not_ expecting this," she said.

"That's the point, I think," Eugene reminded her.

"No, no! I mean, I've been dropping hints at you for _ages_…"

"You have?" Rapunzel rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on. Like you didn't notice!" Eugene stared at her. "You didn't?" she asked, noting the blank look on his face. He shook his head.

"I had no idea."

"Eugene! I made it as obvious as I could without proposing to you myself!" Rapunzel exclaimed. Eugene chuckled.

"Well, I must have been so worked up about proposing to you that I didn't notice your hints."

"Obviously," Rapunzel said quietly.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Could you repeat that?" Eugene asked, leaning closer to Rapunzel, one hand cupped around his ear.

"Eugene."

"No, really, I didn't hear you! Could you repeat, please?" Eugene asked again.

"Eugene, stop!" Rapunzel said, although she was holding back laughter.

"Come on, Blondie," Eugene said. He had leaned so close now that his head was below Rapunzel's and she stared down at him.

"I'm going to push you back in the water," she said, laughing.

"You won't have to!" And with that, Eugene lifted Rapunzel into his arms and threw her into the lake. She screamed as he did so and once her head popped up above the water, laughing, Eugene leapt back in.

"_Eugene_!" Rapunzel cried, shielding her face from the water. "Don't get any water down my throat again!"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself," Eugene replied, laughing. Rapunzel's face was barely above the water as she tried to keep her toes on the bottom of the lake. Eugene hurried over to her and held her tightly around her waist. She looked at him, _really_ looked at him and said, "Hello, my future husband." They both laughed aloud and Eugene responded, "Hi, my future wife." He brushed the wet hair out of Rapunzel's face and pulled her in close to him and closed the gap between them. Rapunzel latched onto Eugene so she wouldn't sink underwater, but Eugene would never let that happen. Especially not now.

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><p>All the way through the village and into the castle, Rapunzel and Eugene were getting strange looks. How often do you see a princess and her, but they didn't know it, future husband wandering through the village, dripping wet? But they didn't mind. Rapunzel held tightly onto Eugene's hand and stayed very close to him. They didn't say anything to each other until the doors of the castle shut behind them.<p>

"Oh my gosh, Eugene Fitzherbert, I love you so much!" Rapunzel yelled, pounding her fists into the air.

Eugene didn't know what to say. _Never_ had he seen her so excited.

"Hey, hey, Rapunzel! You might want to stop before you hurt yourself," Eugene said, pulling Rapunzel's arms down to her side. "Oh, and I love you too, Rapunzel Fitzherbert," he added with a grin.

"I'm not quite Rapunzel Fitzherbert. Soon, though," she said matter-of-factly. "Come on, let's go tell my parents!" she said excitedly, dragging Eugene up the stairs and down the hallway. This hallway normally took forever to get down, but seeing how fast Rapunzel was going, they were there in no time.

"Mom! Dad, look!" Rapunzel cried, bursting into the office where her parents could normally be found. The king and queen looked surprised and confused. Eugene understood why. He was sure they weren't expecting them to suddenly appear, sopping wet.

Rapunzel raced over to them and held out her hand, showing them her knew ring.

"He proposed! We're getting married!" Rapunzel exclaimed, jumping up and down. Eugene walked up behind her and smiled at her parents.

"You-you actually proposed? _Today_?" Eleanor asked. Eugene nodded confidently. Jonathan let out a low chuckle and patted Eugene's shoulder.

"I knew you could do it," he said. Eleanor admired the ring on Rapunzel's finger and said, "Congratulations! May I ask how you proposed? Seeing as…" She gestured to the state of them. Rapunzel glanced back at Eugene, beaming, and laced her fingers through his. Eugene retraced what had just happened back at the dock. Rapunzel's parents watched and listened intently. Rapunzel stared at Eugene the whole time he told the story. She was getting married to Eugene. She was going to be his wife! She couldn't wipe the smile off her lips.

Occasionally, Eleanor stole a glance at Rapunzel and would see her gazing at Eugene. Once in awhile, Eugene would look sideways at Rapunzel and grin back at her. In those few moments, Eleanor really felt the love that these two had for each other. She had known all along that they were bound to be married sometime, and seeing them so happy with one another warmed her heart.

"And… yeah! I wasn't really expecting to be wet when I proposed…but it all worked out," Eugene finished, lifting his and Rapunzel's intertwined hands to his lips and lightly kissing her hand.

"It was _wonderful_!" Rapunzel said, finally tearing her gaze away from Eugene.

"We're so happy for you! Now we have to start planning! This is going to be a grand royal wedding, I think," Eleanor said.

"Before we begin planning, we have to inform the rest of the kingdom, of course," Jonathan pointed out.

"Oh, they'll be so happy! They all love you," Rapunzel added. Eugene simply smiled at all of them. He didn't really care how _grand_ the wedding was. He knew it would be a huge deal, but he didn't need anything special. He was marrying Rapunzel and that was all that mattered.

"Would you like to let the kingdom know as soon as possible? We would have to send out an announcement first, so it may not be for a few days. Unless you want to wait," Eleanor said.

"Should we tell the kingdom now?" Rapunzel asked Eugene. He shrugged.

"I don't mind. If you want to wait, we can," he said. Rapunzel's brow furrowed and she thought for a few minutes.

"Let's wait," she said to her parents. How about we tell them on Thursday? Then at least we would have a few days to let it all sink in." Rapunzel gripped Eugene's hand tighter.

"All right, Thursday it is! We'll make sure everyone knows," Jonathan said. Eleanor clapped her hands together and said, "So that's settled! Now, how about you two get changed? I can't imagine you are very comfortable in wet clothing." Rapunzel and Eugene shook their heads. "Okay, go on! We'll see you soon," Eleanor said, gesturing for them to leave. They smiled at Rapunzel's parents and Rapunzel nearly waltzed from the room.

"I'm so happy," she whispered, resting her head on Eugene's shoulder as they walked back down the hallway.

"So I've noticed," Eugene remarked. "But I am too, Blondie. I am too."

He could almost feel Rapunzel smiling.

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><p><strong>I could just picture Rapunzel freaking out when Eugene finally proposed :)<br>**

**8 Navy Roses: I don't think I actually posted it at midnight... Haha I'm pretty sure it was only 10-ish here! I'm glad you liked the proposal :D**

**sunnyprincessbird: I thought it would seem more... Eugene-like to think it was cheesy... and it made me smile while writing it :)**

**kittehkitty2: I like the spur of the moment proposal too. It seemed more like Eugene!**

**Thank you to everyone for answering my question! They were really helpful. And once I finish this story, you get to figure out why I needed to know the date... ;)**

**Don't forget to review!**

**P.S. You should join the facebook page... _Petition to KEEP Flynn Rider in Disney World Parks. _**

**EUGENE MUST STAY!_  
><em>**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yikes. It's been nearly a month. I'm sorry. This was going to be two chapters, but I decided that I should make it one long one. It's 1,959 words! That's like amazing for me. **

**Small warning: Things get a little... _toasty_ in this chapter. But I'm horrible at writing steamy situations, so it's not that bad. There's nothing explicit. Nothing implied. **

**Just so you know :D**

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><p>Rapunzel could hardly sleep that night. She lay in bed for what felt like hours, and not once did sleep come over her. Her mind was racing with thoughts about Eugene, the wedding, and one particular thought that wouldn't leave her mind, Mrs. Fitzherbert. She giggled whenever she thought about it.<p>

_Mrs. Fitzherbert_.

She knew that with that thought in her mind, she would never be able to sleep. And she wanted to see Eugene. Silently, she slid out of bed and padded over to her door. Being as quiet as she could, she snuck over to Eugene's room and slipped inside. She wasn't expecting to see Eugene sitting on his bed, facing her and holding his face in his hands. She froze when she realized he was awake, but he simply raised his head and smiled at her.

"Having trouble sleeping?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rapunzel sighed, shutting the door behind her and walking toward Eugene and sitting in front of him.

"Same here," Eugene replied, lacing his fingers through Rapunzel's.

"I'm too excited to even _think_ about sleeping!" Rapunzel said as a smile crept its way along her lips. Eugene chuckled and raised their interlocked hands to his mouth, gently brushing his lips against her fingers.

"That excited, huh?" Eugene raised his eyebrows.

"Hey, you're awake, too."

"This is true. I just can't believe that I'm finally going to marry you," Eugene said.

"It's your fault that you took so long," Rapunzel pointed out. Eugene flashed her a smile.

"I was a nervous wreck."

"What for? Well, I guess you didn't pick up on all those hints I gave you. You still shouldn't have been nervous. What, did you think I would say no?" Rapunzel asked.

"No, it wasn't that. I guess I was also excited. It was true what I say to you when I proposed."

"What was? The whole 'whenever I think about the future I see us together'? Yeah, that was really cheesy." Rapunzel laughed.

"Hey!" Eugene took a dramatic breath. "That's insulting! You know how hard I worked on that?" Rapunzel grinned and scooted closer to Eugene, who pulled her into his lap.

"Don't go soft on me, Eugene Fitzherbert," Rapunzel said, poking his chest.

"Don't worry, Rapunzel Fitzherbert," Eugene replied, kissing the top of her head. Rapunzel took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Eugene was rubbing Rapunzel's back and she was beginning to feel sleepy.

"Eugene?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I thought I should let you know that I love you." Rapunzel could almost feel Eugene smiling. She craned her neck and glanced up at him. She was right, he was smiling.

"Love you too, Blondie." He stroked her cheek and gently pressed his lips to hers. It was a slow and sweet kiss, but then they suddenly felt as though they couldn't be close enough. Eugene deepened the kiss and pulled Rapunzel as close to him as he could. Rapunzel threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. She had never kissed Eugene like this, and a strange feeling was forming in the pit of her stomach. She had never felt anything like it before. Eugene ran his fingertips up and down Rapunzel's side, giving her the greatest goose bumps in the world.

Just as quickly as it had started, it ended. Eugene pulled away, leaving Rapunzel feeling suddenly empty. They both caught their breath and Rapunzel was watching Eugene curiously.

"Did I do something wrong?" Rapunzel asked quietly, her lips feeling raw. Eugene shook his head.

"No. No, you didn't do anything wrong," he said. "I shouldn't have let it go that far." Rapunzel understood. They had had this conversation before. She didn't respond and the two sat in silence for a little while. Eugene suddenly shifted and planted a soft kiss on Rapunzel's temple.

"You really should get back to bed. We've got a busy day of planning ahead of us," he murmured. Rapunzel nodded, feeling her eyelids droop.

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning," she said, sliding off Eugene's lap.

"Sleep well," Eugene said when Rapunzel reached the door.

"Love you," Rapunzel said with a small smile.

"Love you, too."

Rapunzel slipped out of the room and hurried back toward her room and her warm bed that was waiting for her.

* * *

><p>Rapunzel was in her bedroom, fishing through her closet for a dress to wear. It was Thursday, and the kingdom would be informed of Rapunzel and Eugene's engagement. She sighed and placed her hands on her hips.<p>

"Guess who?" Two hands came directly over her eyes, causing her to jump.

"Eugene! Stop, I need to find something to wear!" Rapunzel exclaimed, trying to pry Eugene's hands off her face.

"How'd you know it was me?" Eugene's arms fell by his side and Rapunzel turned to face him.

"Because you do that nearly every day," Rapunzel said. "You have to get changed, too! I just can't figure out what to wear."

"Does it matter what you wear? You look beautiful in anything," Eugene said, pulling Rapunzel close.

"Eugene! This is no time to be a softie!" Rapunzel pushed on Eugene's chest and he released her, chuckling. "Thanks for the compliment, but I need to figure this out. Can you go find my mother? She can help me."

"Whatever you say, princess," Eugene bowed, grinning and quickly left the room at the sight of Rapunzel's scowl. Rapunzel turned back toward her closet and stared at the array of dresses. There were pink dresses, blue dresses, yellow, purple, green, red, orange dresses! Rapunzel rubbed her eyes and decided to use the process of elimination. It was summer, so she didn't want a dark color. As she pulled out the dark red and purple dresses and laid them on her bed, her mother appeared in her room.

"Mom! I need your help! I have no idea what to wear," Rapunzel said, exasperated.

"Dear, you worry too much," queen Eleanor said with a smile. "Any of these dresses would be fine."

"What do you think I should wear?" Rapunzel asked. Eleanor stood in front of Rapunzel's closet and instantly went for a light blue dress.

"This one," she said, holding it up to Rapunzel. "It would look beautiful on you." Rapunzel took the dress from her mother.

"You think?" Rapunzel asked, looking at it in the mirror. She had never worn this particular dress.

"Yes, darling. Now, put it on. Eugene is getting dressed as well," Eleanor said, rubbing Rapunzel's shoulders. "Your father and I will be downstairs."

"Okay." Eleanor left, closing the door softly behind her. Suddenly feeling excited, Rapunzel quickly slipped into the blue dress, loving the way the light fabric felt against her skin. She pulled a brush through her short brown locks and glanced at the ring on her finger. She smiled and looked at herself in the mirror. Her mother was right. She looked beautiful.

"Rapunzel, are you ready?" Eugene asked from the opposite side of the door.

"Yeah, coming!" Rapunzel said, hurrying toward the door. She pulled it open and saw Eugene standing there, clad in a simple button up shirt and black pants.

"You look gorgeous, Rapunzel," Eugene said, taking her hand.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Rapunzel remarked. Eugene placed a kiss on Rapunzel's forehead and the two began to walk down the hall.

"You think? This collar is killing me," Eugene said, tugging the collar away from his neck.

"You look very handsome," Rapunzel said, smiling at him. He squeezed her hand.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"No. Mainly excited. I've been waiting for this day for a long time," Rapunzel answered. "How about you?"

"Pretty well. I thin it would be nearly impossible for me to be more nervous than the day I proposed to you." Rapunzel laughed.

"Everyone will be so happy. Mom told me that some people have been wondering when you would finally pop the question."

"Really?" Rapunzel nodded. "Wow. So then they _will_ be excited."

"Rapunzel, Eugene! There you are," king Jonathan said as they finally made it downstairs.

"There's a huge crowd out there," Eleanor said, smiling at them. "I think some people know what this announcement is."

"Are you ready?" Rapunzel asked Eugene.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Blondie," he replied with a grin. Eleanor clapped her hands together and faced Jonathan.

"Shall we go on out, then?" she asked.

"Of course," he responded. Eleanor faced the young couple again and motioned for them to follow. Two guards pulled the large doors open and Rapunzel instantly heard the crowd. They were all just speaking to one another, but once they noticed the family coming through the doors, they all silenced. A few clapped and a couple cheered, but all they had their undivided attention.

"My fellow people!" Jonathan's voice boomed throughout the kingdom. "As you know, Princess Rapunzel and Eugene have an announcement. I'll hand it off to them, now," he finished, turning around and smiling at them. Eleanor and Jonathan walked behind them, giving each of them a large smile.

Rapunzel squeezed Eugene's hand when the butterflies began to form in her stomach. They took a few steps forward and Rapunzel saw just how many people were listening. She looked as far as she possibly could and she didn't see a single spot where there were no cleared his throat.

"Hello, everyone!" he said loudly and cheerfully. Rapunzel almost laughed at how happy he really sounded. "As king Jonathan said, we have a big announcement for all of you. Um… yeah." Eugene tugged at his collar again. "I think I'll… yep. I'll hand it off to Rapunzel," he finished, taking a step back.

"Thanks," Rapunzel whispered sarcastically. Eugene gave her an apologetic smile.

"I am pleased to announce that Eugene is soon to become Eugene Fitzherbert, prince consort of Corona."

The crowd burst into applause. Rapunzel grinned and glanced back at Eugene, who shot her a smile. The king and queen stepped forward and Eleanor said, "Thank you all very much for coming! Details about this… _royal_ wedding will be coming out shortly!" With the crowd still cheering, the four of them turned around and went back inside the castle.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I didn't announce it," Eugene said as soon as the doors closed. "I was _not_ expecting so many people to be there. That was crazy." Rapunzel didn't respond. She just threw her arms around his middle and hugged him tightly.

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"Congratulations, you two. When you're ready, we'll have some planning to do," Eleanor said. The king and queen smiled at the two of them and headed up the stairs.

"Did I do okay?" Rapunzel asked quietly. Eugene let out a small laugh and held her close.

"Does it really matter?" Rapunzel thought for a moment.

"No."

"I didn't think so," Eugene replied, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"All right!" Rapunzel pushed away from Eugene. "We've got a wedding to plan, don't we?" she said excitedly.

"We do. And a royal wedding, at that," Eugene added. Rapunzel smiled and laced her fingers through Eugene's.

"How could I forget? You're marrying into royalty now. How does that feel?"

"I forget about that part. That's not exactly on the top of my priority list."

"And what is?" Rapunzel asked.

"First, I think about marrying you. And I forget that it will induct me into royalty," he replied.

"See? This wedding has made you soft!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "But that's okay. Soft Eugene is nice."

"Well, thank you," Eugene said, smiling.

The two of them followed the king and queen and they couldn't feel more excited for this wedding. It truly was going to be the most wonderful day of their lives.

* * *

><p><strong>So fluffy! What's wrong with that? Not sure about the ending. Took me awhile to write it. And now, review replies!<strong>

**EugeneLoverRapunzel: Yay! I'm glad that I got their relationship down and everything. Sometimes it's easy to make Rapunzel a frail, innocent little being who just does whatever Eugene tells her to. I'm glad I have it the right way!**

**Sheep1215: Thank you so much for those wonderful words! And yes, I did catch that 'Positively Perfect' remark... :) And yes, I did hear about that! It's going to be a short, isn't it? I flipped out when I found out :D**

**sweetwithobsessions: Wow. I'm glad you can picture this in your head. That makes me really happy!**

**kittehkitty2: I'm glad that I made you so happy! Or, my story made you so happy. Either way, thanks very much!**

**Yep. July 2nd was Eugene's last day. At least he's going to be at the Halloween and Christmas parties. Let's not be too sad!**

**So I decided that for my next story, I didn't need to know the time period of Tangled. Here's a little preview. Well, not really. I plan on writing 3 stories. It's going to be like past, present and future. You make of that what you will :D**

**Thanks for reading and for being so patient with me!**


	6. Chapter 6

**You guys. I'm alive. Holy moly. But guess what? Extra long chapter. 2,232 words. I think that might be the longest for this story. **

**If you are still with me, thanks for much for staying. I hope you can stick with me until the end of this story. **

**Huge ginormous apologies. Expect sooner updates now that I have gained motivation and inspiration again.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Rapunzel was trying to focus. She really was. But how could she focus when there was a wedding to plan? And not just any wedding<em>; her<em> wedding. So much had happened in the past few days and least on her mind was her history lesson.

Mr. Wagner droned on and on about past kings and queens without even noticing that Rapunzel wasn't paying any attention. Holding her head up with her hands, she stared blankly at him, not taking in a word. A small knock jolted her back to her senses. She turned her attention to the door and saw Eugene waving at her. She suppressed a smile and gave him a small wave. She glanced at Mr. Wagner to make sure he hasn't noticed, but he was still going on about who-knows-what. Eugene made a hand gesture that Rapunzel assumed meant, "hurry up."

"I can't," she mouthed to him. She pointed to the front of the room and pretended to fall asleep. Eugene grinned at her.

"I have a surprise-" Eugene started to mouth to her, but Mr. Wagner stepped in front of Rapunzel. She jumped; she hadn't even noticed that he had stopped talking.

"Oh, Mr. Wagner, I'm sorry. It's just… Eugene and I…" Rapunzel stammered, trying desperately to think of a good excuse. "We're just excited, and I can hardly focus. I'm sorry, I'll pay attention now."

"Go on," Mr. Wagner said, gesturing toward the door. Rapunzel stared at him in disbelief. "There's no point in me teaching a lesson if you're not paying attention!" he chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to the King and Queen. We'll have the lesson another day."

"Oh, thank you!" Rapunzel exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and hugging Mr. Wagner. "Thank you!" She ran from the room and saw Eugene leaning up against a wall, waiting for her.

"He actually let you leave?" he asked. "And here I was thinking we were both going to be in trouble." Rapunzel laughed and slipped her hand through Eugene's.

"I'm pretty sure he let me leave because I _always_ pay attention," Rapunzel said, following Eugene as he led her down the hall.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I'm sure he wouldn't have let you leave, Eugene."

"I pay attention!" Eugene said defensively.

"Oh, when you're not sleeping, you mean?" Rapunzel answered mockingly. Eugene stared at Rapunzel for a moment and then said, "Touché."

"But seriously, Eugene. You really should pay more attention. Pretty soon you're going to be Eugene Fitzherbert, Prince consort of Corona. Take your lessons seriously!" Rapunzel said, poking Eugene's shoulder on each word for emphasis.

"I've got it, Blondie," Eugene replied, flashing her a grin. She smiled back and wondered where exactly he was taking her.

"What were you trying to tell me before?" she asked.

"Oh, you mean before Mr. Wagner cut me off and then let you leave?" Eugene asked jokingly.

"Well, if you must put it that way…"

"I have a surprise for you," Eugene said.

"A surprise? What kind of a surprise?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, Blondie." Rapunzel frowned.

"We're going to the kitchen. Why are we going to the kitchen?" she said.

"All part of the surprise, love. I guess you could call it my wedding gift for you," Eugene said.

"We need to get gifts for each other?" Rapunzel asked, horrified. Since when was she supposed to do that?

"Well, no. You don't have to. I just thought you would like this particular surprise."

"Oh. Well, I'll get you something anyway. Depending on how good this surprise is," she said teasingly.

"Don't worry. This is a pretty good surprise. I think so, at least," Eugene told her, leading her into the dining hall. "Stay here. I'll bring the surprise out," he said and then hurried into the kitchen. Rapunzel sat down and waited patiently for Eugene to get back. As usual, thoughts of the wedding crossed her mind and, even though she had been excited since Eugene had proposed, she felt more excited than ever. She sat there, twiddling her thumbs, wondering what could be taking Eugene so long. She felt as though she had been sitting there for hours. Just as she was about to get up and see what was going on, she heard a huge crash coming from the kitchen. Rapunzel jumped out of her chair and hurried into the kitchen. She had seen Eugene in many odd situations, but she was not expecting to see Eugene sitting on the floor with pink icing all over him.

"Eugene? What's going on?" Rapunzel asked, holding back her laughter. Eugene covered in pink icing was pretty funny. She saw Pascal pop out of a particularly large pile of frosting on Eugene's shoulder.

"Well," Eugene said, wiping some icing off of his face, "I was working on bringing you your surprise. They were cupcakes. Nothing really special, I know, but Pascal and I made them while you were in your lessons. And I guess there was something wet on the floor because I wound up down here." Rapunzel couldn't help but smile at Eugene's explanation.

"All that work for nothing, huh?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not helping."

"Oh, Eugene, I'm just kidding. Do you really think I care about the cupcakes? It's the thought that counts," Rapunzel replied, kneeling in front of Eugene, who snorted.

"I'm glad you feel that way, since these cupcakes are a failure." Pascal chirped unhappily and Rapunzel gently picked him up. She wiped the icing off of him and tasted it.

"It sure does taste good."

"That's a relief," Eugene said, having some icing for himself. "Now we can just lick the kitchen clean."

"That would take a long time. Wait, what time is it?" Rapunzel asked quickly.

"Nearly three. Why?"

"_Three_? Oh, no. I've got a dress fitting. See you later!" Rapunzel exclaimed, giving Eugene a quick kiss and running off.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of the mess," Eugene muttered to himself.

"You made the mess in the first place!" Rapunzel called back.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry I'm late!" Rapunzel cried, bursting into her room. "Sorry," she said quietly when she saw her mother.<p>

"It's okay. Helen isn't even here yet," Eleanor said. "Is that icing on your lip?" Rapunzel raised her hand and, sure enough, there was some icing there.

"Oh, yeah. Thank you. Eugene had a surprise for me, but it didn't turn out too well," Rapunzel explained.

"I heard. About the surprise part. But what happened?" Eleanor asked.

"He slipped and dropped all the cupcakes. I guess I should have helped him clean up, but I had this fitting to get to." Eleanor laughed and said, "He had been working on those cupcakes for _hours_. He wanted to make them just right. Poor guy."

"I told him that I didn't care about the actual cupcakes as much as the fact that he made them for me and tried so hard," Rapunzel said, feeling herself start to blush. He _had_ tried really hard. Eleanor opened her mouth to say something, but a knock on the door interrupted her.

"Come in!" she called.

Helen came bustling into the room, holding huge pieces of fabric that were slipping to the ground. Rapunzel could only hope that she hadn't been stepping on them.

"Oh, goodness, I'm so sorry that I'm late," she said, gingerly placing the fabrics down on the bed and quickly pulling her wildly curly hair back. "The store was incredibly busy and I couldn't find the right kind."

"It's fine," Eleanor said, waving her hand. "Rapunzel was a little late as well." Rapunzel flushed and thought Helen was quite an interesting person. Not once did she curtsy or even bow her head. But Rapunzel liked that.

"Hello, Princess Rapunzel, and congratulations," Helen said, holding out a hand.

"Hello, Helen. Thank you," Rapunzel answered, shaking her hand. Helen smiled and then clapped her hands together.

"All right! Shall we get started?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, please," Eleanor said and Rapunzel nodded.

"Come on, lighten up!" Helen exclaimed, placing her hands on Rapunzel's shoulders and lightly shaking her. "I don't bite, I swear." Rapunzel was a little taken aback. The only person since coming back to the kingdom that had touched her was Eugene. And her parents, of course, but that was completely different. Everyone in the kingdom merely bowed their head when they saw her. But Rapunzel liked how straight-forward Helen was.

"This is a very exciting time. You should be jumping off the walls right now!" Helen said, chuckling, and led Rapunzel to the small pedestal.

"I am excited! It has started to sink in, so I've gotten used to the idea of marrying Eugene," Rapunzel replied as Helen immediately began holding fabrics up to her.

"Did you see that?" Helen asked, glancing at Rapunzel.

"See what?" Eleanor asked.

"Her eyes. The moment she said his name. You can just tell. What's his name again? Oh, _Eugene_. Quite an odd name, no?" Helen said. Rapunzel held back a smile. She preferred that name over any other.

"Okay, which one do you like best?" Helen questioned, stepping aside. Rapunzel looked in the mirror and at the two fabrics draped over her shoulders. One was white and the other, champagne.

"White," Rapunzel said instantly. She always imagined herself walking down the aisle in a white dress. And Eugene would be at the end, in his tuxedo, grinning at her-

"I agree," Eleanor said, snapping Rapunzel from her thoughts.

"All right, white it is," Helen said, taking the champagne-colored fabric off Rapunzel's shoulder.

"Okay, Rapunzel? I've got a big meeting to go to with your father and I won't be back for the rest of the fitting, but Helen is just going to start getting the shape of the dress. When we finally start talking details, I'll definitely be here," Eleanor explained.

"Okay, good luck at the meeting," Rapunzel said.

"Have fun!" Eleanor said before quickly leaving the room.

"One quick question, Princess. What do you think Eugene would like to see you in?" Helen asked, draping the fabric over Rapunzel's torso.

"Umm… I don't know. I haven't really thought about that. But I don't think he'd really mind. He told me I would look beautiful in anything," Rapunzel added quietly, feeling the blood rush to her face again. She didn't really know why she had been confiding so much in Helen; she just felt completely comfortable around her.

"He sounds incredibly sweet. That's always a nice thing for a man to say," Helen muttered after she had placed a pin between her teeth. "Could you hold that there? Thank you." Helen stretched the fabric across Rapunzel's torso and pinned it once in the back. "My husband used to say that to me."

"_Used_?" Rapunzel asked.

"I'm widowed," Helen said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, no! Don't worry about it. It's been a long time since he passed away." She poked another pin through the fabric at Rapunzel's side. "Now, how would you like the neckline? I know your mother likes to be here for these things, but between you and me, you have better taste," Helen whispered.

"You think?" Rapunzel said, laughing. Rapunzel raised her hand and pulled down a little on the neckline.

"But you're going to need sleeves, of course. So there's probably going to be some lace above the neckline, keep that in mind."

"I'm not sure. I still haven't really got a feeling for what this dress is going to look like. Are there any sketches or anything? Or are we just going off our instinct here?" Rapunzel asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Completely off instinct. Although, I hear you have a knack for drawing. I like to go off sketches as well, but your mother wanted to help you design the gown. So, here's an idea. Sketch me something. Sit down with your mother and sketch a few ideas you have for dresses. That way, we'll have somewhere to start next time," Helen said, and pulled the fabric off of Rapunzel.

"Are you sure?" Rapunzel asked, taken aback.

"Completely. I'd love to see what you come up with. Plus, I think your little fiancé will be missing you by now." Rapunzel grinned.

"Oh, he's probably still cleaning up the mess he made."

"Mess?" Helen asked, picking up all her fabric.

"He spilled cupcakes."

"Smooth. Okay, I'll be back next week, same time. Well, I'll actually be on time next week, and you better be, too!" Helen chuckled.

"Bye, see you next week!" Rapunzel said and she waved goodbye to Helen.

* * *

><p>"Already done?"<p>

"Yep. Helen told me to sketch some ideas. Since we had none. I see you've made some progress." Rapunzel looked around the kitchen, but icing was still all over the place.

"Hey, icing is hard to pick up. And your little friend here hasn't been much of a help," Eugene replied.

"He's mad because you got icing all over him," Rapunzel said, picking Pascal up.

"He's been moping around this whole time. Waiting for you, I suppose." Pascal instantly perked up when he saw Rapunzel, and scurried up her arm to settle on her shoulder.

"Would you like some help?" Rapunzel asked.

"Please," Eugene said, running his hand over his eyes. "I'm never going to be able to look at icing the same way."

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Hope you all enjoyed. And, finally, review replies! Although, I hope you were all more excited to finally have a new chapter... xD<strong>

**PocahontasJohnSmithForever: I'm so excited for that short, it isn't even funny. Only a few more months to go! And I'm sorry for the long wait. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the wedding! I'll have that chapter up soon, hopefully.**

**sweetwithobessessions: No, it's not the last chapter! I've still got plenty planned. I'm sure you were surprised with this update..**

**So, speaking of updates and chapters, I think I'm going to have one or more chapters before the wedding. Probably only one, but maybe two. And then the wedding chapter. And then most likely 2 after the wedding. So around 5 more chapters? Approximately.**

**Thanks again for sticking with me! Love you all :D**


	7. Chapter 7

It was only a week before the wedding.

One week.

One single week.

Seven more days until Rapunzel and Eugene would be married.

"Eugene, aren't you excited?" Rapunzel and Eugene had been discussing this very event and Eugene's lack of enthusiasm worried her. Or maybe she was just so excited; she failed to notice Eugene's excitement.

No; he was definitely being very quiet about the topic.

"Eugene? Are you okay? You always get really quiet when we talk about the wedding. You're not… you know… rethinking-?"

"Oh, jeez, Rapunzel…" Eugene said quietly, taking one of her hands in his. "I'm not rethinking. And I never will be. I'm sorry I worried you."

"But why do you never want to talk about it?" Rapunzel asked.

"It's complicated," Eugene answered.

"What do you mean 'it's complicated'? What's going on, Eugene?" Rapunzel's heart rate increased slightly. Was something wrong with him? Was he sick? Or just nervous?

"Rapunzel, calm down," Eugene said, laughing. "Nothing's wrong. I just…" he sighed and squeezed Rapunzel's hand. "I really don't think you know how important you are to me and how much I love you. I am so excited to finally marry you. You mean everything to me and I can't believe it's only a week away."

For some ridiculous reason, Rapunzel felt tears forming in her eyes. It wasn't _that_ ridiculous; Eugene was just so sweet. Rapunzel smiled and curled up in Eugene's lap.

"Are you crying?" he asked with a laugh, stroking Rapunzel's hair.

"Yes, of course I'm crying!" Rapunzel laughed, tears falling more freely. "It's just… you're so… I didn't…" Rapunzel paused and looked up at Eugene. "I love you," she said simply. Eugene chuckled and kissed Rapunzel's forehead.

"I love you, too." He gently wiped a tear off Rapunzel's cheek. "There's no need to cry, though."

"They're tears of joy, if that helps. And here I was, thinking you were deathly sick or something, and you decide to get all sweet and mushy," Rapunzel said, poking Eugene's chest.

"Hey, nothing about that was mushy. Okay, maybe a little bit but it was all true," Eugene replied, capturing Rapunzel's hand in his and sliding his fingers between hers.

"One week," Rapunzel said, grinning, as Eugene played with the ring on her finger.

"One week," Eugene echoed, gently resting his chin atop Rapunzel's head and holding her close. There was a soft knock at the door and Rapunzel heard her father call, "Rapunzel? Are you in there?" Rapunzel glanced at Eugene who rolled his eyes dramatically. She smiled and gave him a kiss before hurrying off the couch at her father's second knock.

"Coming!" Rapunzel called and swung the door open.

"Oh, Rapunzel, I'm glad you're here. You haven't seen Eugene anywhere, have you…?" Jonathan trailed off when he saw Eugene rising from the couch. "Oh. He's already here."

"Dad, come on," Rapunzel said, gently pulling him into the room. She saw him gave Eugene and here a few nervous looks. "Dad, really. It's not like we were being… _indecent_ or anything like-"

"All right, so I've just got to tell you both a few things," Jonathan said, quickly changing the subject. Rapunzel held back a laugh from how uncomfortable her father was. "Okay, so Eugene, your suit is nearly done, which is great. If any other minor changes need to be made, we have plenty of time." Eugene nodded although Rapunzel knew he hated wearing that suit. "And Rapunzel, there are still a few things to do on your dress, so Helen is here to get them finished up. Now, I haven't seen you in your dress so I would like to go with you."

"Okay," Rapunzel agreed. Jonathan looked between his daughter and the future prince consort once more and then headed for the door.

"Shall we go, then?"

* * *

><p>Rapunzel slipped into her dress with the help of Helen. She held up the bodice as Helen yanked and tugged at the corset. Trying to distract herself from how tight the dress was becoming- and Helen wasn't even done yet- Rapunzel admired all the details on the bodice. Rapunzel, Helen, and Eleanor had all decided that the sleeves didn't need to be full length. Instead, the sleeves stayed right at her shoulders with a little bump. The neckline had a beautiful curve to it and, Rapunzel's favorite part, there was lace below the bodice and once you got to the bottom of the neckline, you could begin to see a tiny bit of the lace. It was the little details that Rapunzel liked the most.<p>

Helen yanked once more on the corset and Rapunzel began to realize just how tight it was. She gasped for breath and coughed out, "Does it need to be that tight?"

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Besides, we want to show off that lovely figure of yours, no?" Helen responded, laughing.

"Everything okay back there?" Jonathan asked nervously. Helen laughed again and told Rapunzel to head out. Rapunzel could already picture the look on her dad's face when he saw her. She stepped out and he did exactly what she thought he would. He let out a sigh and his eyes immediately softened when he saw her.

"Oh, Rapunzel, it's so beautiful," he said, walking up next to her when she stood on the pedestal. She picked up the skirt and ran her fingers of the fabric before she looked in the mirror. A smile immediately spread across her face.

"You look gorgeous," Jonathan said, planting a kiss on his daughter's cheek.

"Thank you," Rapunzel whispered and threw her arms around her father. Jonathan chuckled and returned the embrace.

"Would you look at that? My daughter's getting married," he said when they broke apart.

"Never thought you'd see the day, did you?" Rapunzel asked lightly, turning back toward the mirror. Helen immediately started adding and pinning and questioning the dress.

"Helen, calm down. It's okay," Rapunzel said after Helen asked her if they sleeves were too short. Helen took a deep breath and smiled.

"Thanks. Okay, would you like to try walking around?" she asked.

"Sure," Rapunzel answered, stepping off the pedestal.

"Rapunzel, I think I'm going to let you two continue. Don't want to be _too_ spoiled," Jonathan said.

"Okay, Dad. I'll see you later. Love you," Rapunzel said, hugging him once more.

"Love you, too."

"Okay! So, walking. That's kind of important on a wedding day, if you ask me," Helen said, shutting the door after Jonathan had left. "I know it's tight, but we don't want you to pass out while walking down the aisle."

"That would not be good," Rapunzel agreed.

"Oh, let's practice in heels, too." Rapunzel gulped. She had just gotten used to wearing flat shoes. Heels were still her enemy.

"We're working on custom shoes, but they're not quite finished, so you can try these." Helen pulled out a pair of white heels from her bag. She had just started helping Rapunzel stand in the heels when a knock came at the door.

"Rapunzel? Can I come in?" Rapunzel was absolutely terrified to see the knob turning.

"Eugene, don't!" she cried, hurrying over to the opening door. She felt her foot slip and the heel of her shoe twisted to the side. She used the door as her support, slamming it shut into Eugene's face. Rapunzel leaned back against the door, took a deep breath and yanked the heels off her feet.

"We'll need more practice with these," Rapunzel said to Helen.

"Hopefully you won't have to run at the wedding! Are you all right?" Helen asked.

"It's questionable," Eugene said from the opposite side of the door.

"Not you!" Rapunzel nodded at Helen and turned around, leaning her ear up against the door. Helen grinned and took the shoes back over to her bag.

"Sorry, Eugene. I'm in my dress! Didn't you know?" Rapunzel asked.

"I knew you were trying it on, but I figured you'd be done by now. I have my tuxedo on and I wanted to know if you'd like to see it." She did. She really did.

"No. I want to be surprised."

"What a day of surprises it's going to be," Eugene joked, leaning against the door. There was a pause until Rapunzel said, "Do you want to come in?"

"What? I thought you didn't want to see. And I can't see you."

"I know. We'll close our eyes," Rapunzel said.

"Then what's the point?" Eugene asked.

"I don't know."

"What if I peek?" Eugene challenged.

"Helen won't let you," Rapunzel answered, glancing at Helen, who gave her a thumbs up.

"Do you really want me to come in?" Eugene asked.

"If _you_ want to." Eugene sighed.

"I'll take that as a yes. He started to open the door but Rapunzel slammed it in his face again.

"Blondie…" Eugene mumbled.

"Wait!" Rapunzel cried, hurrying back to the pedestal.

"My eyes are shut," Eugene called.

"Mine too." Rapunzel shut her eyes and heard Helen open the door.

"Hello, Eugene. We've never actually met," Helen said, leading him to Rapunzel.

"And imagine you meeting me now, when I can't see anything- Rapunzel, this is a little ridiculous," Eugene said jokingly.

"It's not ridiculous. Just keep your eyes shut," Rapunzel answered.

"Don't worry, Blondie." Rapunzel felt Eugene next to her and she slipped her hand in his. Helen snuck away, but kept a close eye on the two. There was no way either of them was going to be spoiled on her watch.

"Hi," Rapunzel whispered, a smile creeping along her lips.

"Hi," Eugene echoed, squeezing her hand.

"How are you?"

"Well, minus the extreme throbbing in my nose, just fine.

"Sorry about that," Rapunzel said. "I wouldn't have slammed the door shut if I hadn't been wearing heels. I tripped." Eugene laughed.

"Just as long as you didn't break your ankle."

"I think I'm good. I just won't wear heels to the wedding, I guess."

"Oh, yes you will!" Helen interjected.

"She's right; it's only fairy that we both suffer a bit," Eugene said, tugging at his suit.

"You hate that suit that much, huh?"

"I'll get over it. The suit doesn't matter so much."

"I'm sure you look handsome," Rapunzel said.

"And I'm sure you look beautiful. Then again, you always look beautiful." Rapunzel blushed and became acutely aware that Helen was still in the room. She bumped Eugene with her hip.

"We'll have to wait and see," Rapunzel said in a sing-song voice.

"That we will. And so will you."

Rapunzel grinned and again and squeezed Eugene's hand tightly, leaning into him just a bit. Helen suddenly clapped her hands loudly, exclaiming, "All right, Eugene! Your time is up. I've got to give Rapunzel a lesson in walking in heels." Eugene laughed when Rapunzel sighed quietly next to him. Helen went up to Eugene's side and took his hand, gently pulling him away.

"See you later, Blondie." Rapunzel's heart skipped a beat and she couldn't keep the huge smile from forming on her lips.

"Well, isn't he something! Let me tell you, if I was thirty years younger…" Helen trailed off. Rapunzel opened her eyes and stepped off the pedestal. She sat on her bed and pulled those rotten heels onto her feet. Helen pulled her off the bed and began giving her instructions. Rapunzel surprised herself by being so eager to learn. It meant she was one step closer.

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><p><strong>Well, hi.<strong>

**Huge huge huge apologies for the long wait. I feel like I always say that when I update. But I really appreciate you sticking with me. The next chapter is the wedding! And I'm pretty sure there will be one more chapter after that.**

**You guys are all amazing that thank you so much for the great reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

It was the day of the wedding.

Only one hour and fourteen minutes until Rapunzel would be walking down the aisle.

Not that she was counting. And this was assuming that everything went according to plan.

Rapunzel's parents were very frantic, trying to make sure that everything was going the way it should. Rapunzel was in her room, staring at her dress, with the same grin that had been on her face all day. She was patiently waiting for Helen to show up so she could zip her into the dress. Since Helen wasn't here, though, Rapunzel continued to simply look at her dress. She wondered what Eugene was doing. Was he nervous? Excited? Anxious? All of the above? Rapunzel was nervous. And the butterflies in her stomach multiplied every twenty minutes it got closer to the wedding. But she was incredibly excited, of course. It had been a long time coming.

There was a loud knock at the door and Helen came bustling in.

"You would not _believe_ the mess out there! I certainly hope everything gets pulled together in time," Helen said, shutting the door behind her and letting out a sigh. Rapunzel didn't really care what the ceremony looked like. She only had one thing on her mind.

Helen pulled the dress from the hanger and spun around. She looked at Rapunzel for a few moments before saying, "Ah. The pre-wedding look of joy. Don't worry, dear, I've seen it many times before. Excited?" She put a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder and squeezed slightly. Rapunzel's smile widened and she nodded, not sure what exactly to say. Helen returned her smile. "Ready to put this on?" Rapunzel nodded again and stood from her bed. "Here you go, you get it started." Rapunzel took the dress from Helen and went into the bathroom to change.

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><p>Eugene tugged at the collar of his suit for the millionth time since he had put it on. It was barely loose enough for him to breathe. He stood in front of the mirror, looking himself up and down.<p>

_It could be worse_, he thought to himself. His stomach had continued to do backflips all day long. With only an hour until the wedding, he thought he might go crazy. He pulled at the sleeves and took a deep breath. Turning away from the mirror, Eugene wondered how Rapunzel was doing. She was probably nervous, like he was.

Eugene checked the time again. He felt like that was all he had been doing all day. He had to be down there in twenty minutes. Which felt like an entire lifetime. He wasn't sure how long it would take him to get there. Maybe if he walked really slowly, it would take him twenty minutes. He was tired of standing around and waiting. He opened the door and peeked out, checking to make sure there was no sign of Rapunzel. She didn't need to be down there for a bit longer than he had, but he wanted to be careful. Eugene shut the door behind him and began walking down the hall.

Rapunzel's room was only a few doors down and Eugene knew he should just keep walking but curiosity got the best of him. He slowed down a bit as he neared her room and heard Rapunzel ask if her dress was tight enough. He laughed to himself. He took a step toward the door and knocked.

"How's it going in there?" Eugene asked. He could almost see the look on Rapunzel's face. He heard a flurry of fabric and heard Rapunzel lean up against the door.

"Eugene? What are you doing? Shouldn't you be downstairs?"

"Nope. Not for another twenty minutes. Are you feeling all right?" Eugene said, pressing his ear against the door.

"I'm fine. Nervous. Excited," Rapunzel answered. Eugene could hear the smile in her voice.

"Same here." There was a pause and the two of them just stood there, separated by a thin door, wishing time would go by faster.

"We're still trying to get this corset as tight as possible. Because they apparently want me to pass out while walking down the aisle," Rapunzel said, breaking the silence. Eugene laughed and said, "I certainly hope that doesn't happen. Well, I should be heading down there. Good luck with that corset. See you in a bit."

"Love you," Rapunzel added softly.

"Love you too," Eugene answered, grinning. He stepped away from the door and continued down the hall.

* * *

><p>"How much time do we have now?"<p>

"Seventeen minutes," Rapunzel responded. Her father had been asking her that every five minutes. He was nervous. And he knew that she was keeping track of the time.

"Are you doing all right?" Jonathan asked, wringing his hands in his lap.

"Are _you_?" Rapunzel asked, laughing. Jonathan smiled and stood up, walking toward Rapunzel.

"I'm fine. Excited to walk my baby girl down the aisle," he said, pulling Rapunzel in for a hug. Rapunzel could hear in his voice that he was on the verge of crying.

"Dad, don't cry! You'll make me cry too," she said, squeezing him tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'll try and hold it all in until you're officially married," he said with a laugh, sniffling as he did so. Rapunzel took a deep breath and relaxed a bit against her father.

"I love you, Daddy," she said quietly.

"I love you too," Jonathan responded, kissing the top of her head. Rapunzel smiled and pulled away from her father.

"Veil?" she asked simply. She'd been wanting to put it on for a while.

"Of course. Where's Helen? You know I'm not good with this… fashion stuff." Rapunzel laughed and spun around, looking for Helen. She was tempted to peer out the door and around the corner to see how Eugene was doing. But she wanted to be surprised.

"Could you go find her for me? I don't want to see Eugene yet," Rapunzel said.

"Sure. I'll be right back," Jonathan said, patting Rapunzel's shoulder as he slipped through the door.

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><p>Eugene stood at the end of the aisle, fidgeting with a hangnail. He was so nervous he had been pulling his skin clean off. Once he realized he had been pulling at it, he immediately stopped, balled is hands into fists and placed them at his side.<p>

"You all right there, Eugene?" He jumped and spun around. Eleanor was standing behind him, a small smile on her face.

"Fine," he said, but his voice cracked a bit. He cleared his throat. "Fine," he repeated, trying to sound as calm as possible. Eleanor laughed softly and walked up to him. She took his hand and patted it gently in hers.

"You'll be fine. Everything will go just fine. And before you know it, you'll be the prince consort." Eugene gulped.

"I think I'll just stick with focusing on becoming Rapunzel's husband. I can worry about being prince consort later," Eugene said with a laugh.

"Yes, maybe that's a good idea," Eleanor said lightly. She continued absently patting Eugene's hand, staring off into nothing.

"Eleanor? Are you okay?" Eugene asked. She looked at him and let out an exasperated sigh before pulling him into a tight hug. Eugene was a bit surprised at how strong she was. He wrapped his arms around her, taking short breaths.

"I'm sorry. I've been trying to hold all my emotions in at least until the ceremony, but with only twelve minutes to go, I can hardly bear it," Eleanor explained shakily.

"I know what you mean," Eugene said. Eleanor sucked in a breath and pulled away from Eugene, keeping her hands on his shoulders.

"Twelve minutes. Better check on Rapunzel. Good luck," Eleanor said, smiling at him.

"Thanks," Eugene said and Eleanor began walking quickly up the aisle.

* * *

><p>"Are you comfortable? The veil isn't too tight, is it? You've got the bouquet? And your shoes? They're okay? What about the rings? No, Eugene has those. Okay. And I've got everything I need. How fast are we supposed to walk? I suppose it doesn't really matter that much. You're the bride! Okay. I think we're ready. But wait, do we need-"<p>

"Dad!" Rapunzel cried. He snapped his mouth shut, looking sheepish. "Everything's fine," she said, smiling.

"Fine. Everything's fine. Yes. Good. Okay. I'm ready. You?" Jonathan asked. Rapunzel nodded and headed toward the open door, careful not to step on her dress in the process. Jonathan followed her and picked the back of her dress off the floor so he could shut the door.

Rapunzel stood behind the doors to the hall; the doors that would lead her straight to Eugene. Jonathan held his arm out and Rapunzel grabbed it tightly. She felt like she might be sick. Jonathan rested his hand over hers and said, "Deep breaths, sweetheart." Rapunzel sucked in a breath as the doors before her slowly opened. Everyone spun around in their seat and stared at her. She gulped once she heard the organ playing and starting walking down the aisle with her father. Then she saw Eugene. Eugene standing there in a white suit-_white_!-looking incredibly handsome. A grin spread across her face and the aisle suddenly felt incredibly long. Eugene was smiling as well and Rapunzel's stomach flipped over with excitement.

As they neared the end of the aisle, Rapunzel saw her mother, tears in her eyes, and gave her a small wave. She waved back and smiled. Rapunzel looked back at Eugene and then all of a sudden she was standing right in front of him. Her father turned and stood in front of her. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, taking the bouquet of flowers from her. Then he turned to face Eugene. He gripped his shoulder and even from behind, she knew they were both grinning. Jonathan stepped to the side and Rapunzel moved toward Eugene, unable to keep the smile off her face.

"You look beautiful," Eugene whispered as they turned to the side in front of the priest. Rapunzel blushed and then jumped when the priest started talking. She had almost forgotten that he was there. Eugene laughed softly and stepped closer to Rapunzel, taking her hands. Did the priest say to do that? What _was_ the priest even saying? Rapunzel couldn't pay attention. How could she? Eugene was right here and after waiting for so long, they were getting married. She forgot about everyone else in the room and was focused solely on Eugene. They both stood there, grinning at one another, which probably looked ridiculous but Rapunzel didn't care.

Eugene suddenly let go of her hands and fumbled around in his pocket before pulling out the two rings. Had that much time passed already? Rapunzel blinked quickly a few times and decided this was a good time to start listening.

Eugene handed the two rings to the priest who in turn handed Eugene's ring to Rapunzel. Next thing she knew, she was sliding the ring onto Eugene's finger and repeating the vows after the priest. She was still in a bit of a daze, but she found herself fighting back laughter. All of the emotions that she was feeling just wanted to come out in one big laugh. Eugene took his turn saying his vows, letting his hand linger over Rapunzel's as he slipped her ring on. Eugene smiled brightly at her as the priest said, "I am pleased to announce that you are now husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." Rapunzel let out a soft laugh of relief and resisted the urge to tackle Eugene to the ground. Eugene gently pulled Rapunzel toward him, pressing his lips to her. A huge smile spread across Rapunzel's face as she kissed him and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The entire room burst into applause. Rapunzel couldn't help but laugh. She pulled away from Eugene and stared at him. Her husband.

"Everyone please rise!" the priest said loudly and Eugene grasped Rapunzel's hand, turning toward the crowd. "I present to you the Prince Consort of Corona, Eugene Fitzherbert, and the Princess of Corona, Rapunzel Fitzherbert." Chills went shooting up Rapunzel's side at the sound of her new name. Rapunzel Fitzherbert. Everyone began applauding again and Rapunzel saw her parents. Jonathan was holding Eleanor close to him, both crying. Rapunzel smiled at them and they both waved, smiling. Rapunzel heard the organ once more and that was their cue to start heading out.

Once they were off the alter, Rapunzel quietly said, "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it!" Eugene laughed and squeezed her hand. Everyone was looking into their faces and grinning widely. Some people told them congratulations.

Eugene suddenly stopped walking, just for a moment, and wrapped one arm around Rapunzel's waist and the other behind her knees, sweeping her off the ground. The crowd cheered and Rapunzel burst into laughter.

"Don't step on my dress," she warned. "I'd never forgive you."

"Don't worry," Eugene said with a smile. They reached the end of the aisle and the two guards pulled the huge doors open for them. Once the doors had been shut behind them, Eugene gently lowered Rapunzel back on the ground, still holding her close to him. Rapunzel stood on her toes and lightly kissed Eugene.

"How are you doing, my dearest wife?" Eugene asked when Rapunzel pulled away, positively glowing. She giggled and Eugene feared that she might explode. But he felt the same way.

"Just fine, my lovely husband. And you?" Eugene dramatically rolled his eyes.

"'_Just fine_?' That's all I get? I happen to be ecstatic. Over the moon, thank you very much," Eugene said jokingly.

"Eugene, stop! You know how happy I am," Rapunzel said, resting her hand on Eugene's cheek. He grinned and held his hand over hers before pulling them to their sides.

"I love you, Rapunzel," Eugene said softly, dipping his head down. Rapunzel suppressed yet another grin and said, "I love you too." She stretched higher up on her toes and pressed her lips against Eugene's.

Make that _her husband_.

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><p><strong>Yes, hello. I'm alive. I haven't abandoned this story. I just had a long time where I had no idea what to write. And then one day I started getting EugeneRapunzel feels. Like CRAZY feels. So I wrote this.**

**I hope you liked the wedding! I worked really hard on it so I hope it didn't fall too short.  
><strong>

**There will be one more chapter after this one. An epilogue of some sort.  
><strong>

**To those who are still here and reading, THANK YOU!  
><strong>

**Love you all :)  
><strong>


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